The Interview
by KroganVanguard
Summary: Castle gets interviewed while on his book tour, just prior to the season 6 premier (Valkyrie). All other characters, especially Beckett, featured through his words.
1. Chapter 1

_This is generally Castle and Caskett-focussed fic (though the latter will be more dealt with it in the next chapter), but through Castle's eyes and features Beckett in absentia. Very heavy on dialogue (deliberately) so if that bothers you stylistically, sorry! Reviews are my addiction of choice, please leave one if you liked it._

* * *

She'll admit, she's a little nervous. Three months since she got hired as a journalist, working in the Arts and Entertainment section of the paper, and finally her boss has sent her out for an interview. It's not going to win her a Pulitzer, but Richard Castle is not some no-name up-and-comer hungry for fame, but a long-time resident on the bestseller's lists and with his own legion of adoring fans who will no doubt lap up any publicity he gets. She fiddles with the buttons on her recorder, checking for the umpteenth time the battery is fresh…and suddenly he's right there at her table, ushered by his publicist.

"Richard, this is Claire Wu from the _Herald_." The clipped tones of dark-haired Paula are pre-empted by Castle himself, extending a broad hand.

"Ms. Wu, delighted to meet you."

"Mr. Castle, so happy you could spare some time in your schedule." She's glad to note her voice never cracks, and her palm isn't too sweaty. The handshake is quick and firm, and a smile twinkles in his blue eyes, making seem much younger than he is. He's tall and handsome but perceptive enough to seat himself quickly before he looms over her too much. She appreciates that. The publicist excuses herself with a quick nod, and a firm reminder she only has 30 mins.

"Before we start, do you mind if I grab a quick coffee. I need it to jump start my days, especially on these book tours."

"Of course, Mr. Castle."

"Please, call me Rick."

"Only if you call me Claire." He gives her that dazzling smile again as he flags down a passing waiter, and she can see why he was always more popular with the society pages than many other authors, not to mention single women. That was his more notorious past though, one he has left behind.

"Anything for you, Claire?"

"No…I don't drink coffee." She's setting up her recorder and notebook, all set to go as soon as the waiter departs. "Shall we start?"

"Of course."

"So first of all, congratulations on the release of _Deadly Heat_, once again atop the bestseller's charts on release. Is it as thrilling this time around as it was the first or the second?"

He takes a moment, pauses to think.

"I think it's better. I think I'm humbled that people enjoy reading what I write, all these years on, that it hasn't grown stale, that I still have stories to tell and characters to flesh out and worlds to build. I think the first few times it is sort of a sense of disbelief, you know, that it is happening, that your book is successful, but at the same time you don't really appreciate what a gift it is that you are able to reach and touch your readers through your words. Even now I'm deeply, deeply grateful that so many readers, old and new, have allowed me to become part of their lives through my books and I can honestly tell you that it gets better with every book."

She had expected a rote answer, the usual fluff delivered in a semi-bored tone, not to be taken aback by passion and genuine enthusiasm.

"Philadelphia is right in the middle of a gruelling book tour you've got yourself on. Are you going to have any time to take a moment and catch any of the sights?"

Before he can answer, the coffee arrives, and he notably perks up at its sight and scent, taking a break to gently savour the first couple of sips.

"Big cheesesteak fan. I've got book signings in the afternoon and evening before I catch a late flight to Chicago, but I'm definitely going to find myself a cheesesteak before I leave. There was a case I was working on last year where we had to question a man who claimed his place had the best cheesesteak in this city. Maybe I'll go investigate his claims. Turns out he wasn't lying about not having done the crime, maybe he wasn't about this too."

"I'd give you recommendations, if I could, Rick but I've only been living here for a few months myself." Still, the story offers an excellent segue into one of the most intriguing aspects of Castle's own backstory and history, and she'd be a fool not to take it.

"Since you mentioned the case, I have to ask. You've been working with the NYPD now for five years. Originally doing research, but…most writers only stick around for a few weeks, or a month. I think we can call you a consultant these days. How did you manage to get accepted into a community, a fraternity notable for its closed ranks and lack of acceptance of outsiders? Do you feel like you belong there now?"

He grins at the question, broad writers fingers gripping the coffee.

"Not shying away from the tough questions, I see." His eyes narrow a little, obviously searching for the best way to tackle this. "I think the secret to most successful relations, personal or professional, is simply to keep showing up. A wise man told me that once, and it is advice I've definitely taken to heart. I'll admit that in the first few days and weeks and months, I leveraged my contacts with the Mayor's office to get the access I initially needed. But then, I just kept showing up. In the rain, in the cold, in the dark…the only thing I used to beg out of was the paperwork, generally because they wouldn't accept my name on it anyway. And I think the folks I worked with began to respect that. Also, you know, not to blow my own trumpet, but I think I brought something to the homicide team I work with…a little insight earned from many years of writing about murder, about people and their motives, about how it isn't just the evidence that matters, but also the story. Our case closure rate became pretty good, that helped."

He shrugs, clearly somewhat uncomfortable about talking about the topic any more, and she decides not to press, right now at least, scribbling down notes for further research. There was that funeral, where his partner had gotten shot. He'd been a pallbearer. That spoke strongly to how much a part of the brotherhood he'd become. But she wasn't doing an in-depth psychological piece. Or at least not yet.


	2. Chapter 2

_In hindsight the timeline of this is wrong. Beckett's struggle with becoming part of Castle's public identity will be a focus in S6, but not as early as I've written it here. Oh well. Enjoy, and leave a review if you liked it. _

* * *

"All right, well one of the things that generally distinguishes your writing from other authors in the genre is the fact that it isn't just a procedural. Apart from the crime there a variety of other elements, like the romance, or the family or the comedy. I mean it was something that was always there even in the earlier works, but it's stronger in the Heat books. Deliberate?"

"Somewhat, I think." He drains the last of the coffee from his mug. "Mmm, good coffee. I'm somewhat of a connoisseur these days."

She raises an eyebrow, pen ready, waiting for a longer answer.

"I think that was always part of my writing, because life is boring when it just about one thing, whether it's just murder or just romance. Not to knock anyone who loves any single element, but I've always been a big fan of the complexity of life, of the big jumbled mess we make of it all as we navigate what it tosses at us, whether we're ready for it or not. I think my own life taught me that, right from a young age. But it really came into focus during my time at the precinct, because I saw it in action. You know, you'd be working an absolutely shocking murder case one moment, but then the next the guy next to you has to switch off and go on a first date, or I had to go home and deal with my daughter crying over a break-up…things like that. Life is not as neatly compartmentalised as we'd like it to be, and I always want my books to reflect and portray that, and my characters to deal with it."

"Plus, you know," he raises an eyebrow with that roguish, impish grin at the forefront, and she can't help but smile back, not nearly strong enough to resist the force of his charm, "a little sizzle never hurt in selling the steak. People love that side of the story, the Rook-Heat dynamic. Trust me, I know- I haven't read any of the fanfiction, but I've seen the pages and pages of it that exist on the internet."

"And it doesn't take a best-selling author or a NYPD homicide detective to work out that you aren't seen out and about in public much any more- the playboy author seems to have disappeared. Or whom most of your books are dedicated to." She smiles, but watches carefully for his reaction. His nascent relationship has only just been made public, and it seems like thin ice to step out on to, but her boss would kill her if she didn't at least ask.

"That doesn't seem like a question, Claire." He bats it straight back at her, poker-faced.

"Are you off the market? And who is the lucky lady?"

"I am most definitely off the market, yes. As for the lucky lady…like you say, my dedications over the years haven't exactly been cryptic. But she's a very private person, and I'm the one out here courting the press and the publicity, so it'd be great if reporters kept bothering me and left her alone. She's just the one unlucky enough to find herself returning my affections." Just the right tone of honesty and self-deprecation, the man is definitely easy to like.

"Have you two been together the whole time?"

He breaks out into a guffaw of genuine laughter at the question, and she categorically wasn't expecting that reaction.

"No, no absolutely not. Our relationship hasn't been the easiest path to navigate, but I will say I had a deep and abiding respect for her right from the start, and then we became friends and then…well, if there's one thing I'm not qualified for after two divorces and a chequered past, it is to give relationship advice. But I will say that sometimes, love isn't easy. It isn't like it is in the fairy tales or the Hollywood movies. You have to fight for it, both of you. Scratch and claw for every inch, forgive the other person for the mistakes they've made, ask for forgiveness for your own mistakes. Move on from those mistakes, together, because it is worth it do so. And when the universe serves you up enough chances, at one point you just have to throw caution to the wind and grab one of them because not everyone's tomorrows are guaranteed. If life at the precinct has taught me anything, it's that."

His tone has grown sombre, the blue eyes darkening somewhat as he speaks, a rueful twist on his lips.

"But no, to answer the question..she was my friend, my partner, my muse, my work-wife even, for the first few years, but we didn't get involved till much later. Some days I regret that, and some days I can see how those rocky years shaped us to be stronger together, so now we survive things that might have torn us apart if we had gotten together straight away. These days, I'm glad to call her my fiancée and in time…well, third time's the charm, she tells me. That applies to me. She's more of a one-and-done type." There is no mistaking the love shining fiercely through in his eyes when he speaks about her, and she doesn't need to see the ring on his finger to know this man might be charming, funny and flirtatious, but he'll never ever look like that speaking about anyone else in his life. In some ways it makes her glow a little on the inside, like a mirror reflecting his light. She hopes she is lucky enough to find what he obviously has.

"And-" He interrupts her, smiling to try and take the sting out of his words

"Sorry Claire, that's just about enough on my personal life, I think."

"Ok, sure." But before she can launch into any further questions, Paula the publicist is striding back into view towards their table, another journalist at her heels.

"Looks like we have to wrap this up." She turns the recorder off, checking first it has been safely recording. Everything looks good. "It was a pleasure, Rick. If you're ever back in Philly, I'd love to do a follow-up, maybe even with Detective Beckett alongside?" She injects a note of hope into her tone. Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all.

He grins at her, recognising the ploy. "I suspect we're many months, if not years away from that. But I admire your attitude. If it happens, we may just look you up first Claire."

By now she's packed and standing, the sandy haired young fellow who has the next timeslot already setting and taking over her seat. A quick handshake with Castle, a friendly nod to Paula and she's on her way back to her office, his last words ringing in her ear.

"I guess we've both found someone to stand by our sides in our respective struggles, to be there for the other in times of need. I can't ask for more than that." A quick glint of something deeper behind those blue-eyes. "That's all I hope for everyone to find too."


End file.
